Free Tender Love by Irene Brand

that all was well here before Clarice’s illness.”
    Erin shook her head. “Mark is such a giving person—as a pastor, there was never any request too insignificant for him to give his full attention. So when he came home, he needed a wife to love and pamper him, not one who acted like a martyr because he’d been out all day doing his job.”
    Alice didn’t want to hear anymore, and she was glad when Kristin stuck her head in the kitchen door and said, “We’re bored. What can we do?”
    Alice stood and cleared the dishes from the table. “It’s too nice a day to spend indoors. Why don’t we all go outside? If you’re up to it, Erin, we might play softball with the kids. I found a ball and bat in one of the closets.”
    â€œProbably the ones that Mark used when he coached our Little League team at the church.”
    Erin’s son, Troy, was boisterous and loud, and he intimidated Eddie, who hesitated to leave the house.
    â€œI don’t know how to play ball,” he said, reverting to his whiny voice that Alice hadn’t heard for a couple of weeks.
    â€œWe’ll show you,” Troy said. He grabbed Eddie’s hand. “Come on.”
    Eddie pulled back, but Alice said, “This will be fun, Eddie.”
    â€œI want to ride horses, not play ball.”
    An idea had been forming in Alice’s mind abouthis fixation on horses, but she couldn’t do anything about that this afternoon. Alice lifted Eddie, carried him down the steps, and set him on the ground.
    Shortly, they had a game underway with Erin playing on the side of the Tanners, and Alice paired with Susie and Troy. Although timid at first, Eddie soon began to enjoy the game, until Troy hit a ball with a lot of power. The ball went straight toward Eddie, who stared at the ball, mesmerized. He didn’t move, and it hit him in the stomach—hard. Eddie toppled over like a felled tree.
    Alice ran to Eddie, her heart thumping big time. “Is he dead, Alice?” Kristin screamed, and at that inopportune time, Ethel Pennington walked into the backyard.
    â€œWhat’s going on here?”
    Alice ignored her as she checked Eddie’s pounding pulse, but it wasn’t more rapid than was normal for the activity he’d experienced.
    â€œWhat’s going on here?” Ethel repeated, and Kristin answered.
    â€œAlice made Eddie play ball, and he got hit in the belly. He might be dead.”
    Ethel tried to crowd in through the excited children, but Erin outmaneuvered her and knelt on the other side of Eddie, who was already stirring.
    â€œHe had the breath knocked out of him,” Erin said.
    â€œThat’s all.”
    â€œThat’s all!” Ethel said shrilly. “He’s such a delicate child—he could have been killed.”
    Eddie’s face was white when Alice helped him to his feet. Looking from one to the other of the concerned faces around him, he wheezed, “What happened?”
    â€œThe ball hit you in the belly,” Troy shouted, “and knocked the wind out of you. I didn’t know you were such a sissy, or I wouldn’t have hit the ball so hard.”
    â€œHush, Troy,” his mother said.
    â€œYou come with me, Eddie,” Ethel said, taking his arm. “I’m going to put you to bed.”
    Alice slumped down in one of the lawn chairs, and didn’t make any effort to resist Ethel. “There’s some banana bread and lemonade ready in the kitchen, Kristin. You serve some to your friends. Erin and I will be in soon.”
    â€œDon’t let this bother you, Alice. No harm was done,” Erin said. “It isn’t unusual for children to be hurt when they’re playing.”
    â€œI shouldn’t have insisted that he play, but the doctor told me that he’d been pampered too much, and that Eddie should live like any other boy. That’s all I was trying to do. I can’t imagine